A Fact of Life
by I am no angel 0217
Summary: They made a bad decision, and now everyone will know their secret. What will happen to their relationship? An E/G story. Read and review please. :)
1. Chapter One

A Fact of Life  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the show, so don't sue me. Maggie, Talia and anyone else I throw in do belong to me, though.  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
  
Grace sat in the bathroom stall. She'd been throwing up for almost five minutes straight. She couldn't believe how horribly her Senior Year was starting.  
  
"Grace, you okay?"Maggie called to her from the mirrors.  
  
"Yeah,"Grace said as she stood up.  
  
"It sounded like you were really sick in there,"Talia said as Grace came out of the stall.  
  
"Grace, you've been sick every day for how long?"Maggie asked.  
  
"Three weeks,"Grace said as she applied her lip gloss.  
  
"You're pregnant,"Maggie and Talia stated in unison.  
  
"What? No, not me,"Grace replied as if it was totally impossible.  
  
"Trust me,"Talia said. "You are pregnant!"  
  
Talia and Maggie walked out of the bathroom leaving Grace looking into the mirror. 'I can't be pregnant,'she thought. 'There's no way. Actually, there is but I couldn't be. Ugh! This can't be happening. I can't wait to find out.'  
  
Grace practically ran to the Attendance Office. She needed to go home. First, she called her mom.  
  
Grace: "Lily Sammler?"  
  
Lily: "Grace? Honey, are you okay?"  
  
Grace: "Mom, I don't feel good."  
  
Lily: "Well, I can't come pick you up right now, but Eli's home."  
  
Grace: "Okay, Mom, I'll call him."  
  
Lily: "Feel better."  
  
Grace: "I will, Mom. I love you."  
  
Lily: "I love you, too."  
  
They hung up, and Grace called Eli.  
  
Eli: "Hey?"  
  
Grace: "Eli?"  
  
Eli: "Yes. Grace, is that you?"  
  
Grace: "Yeah."  
  
Eli: "Why are you calling?"  
  
Grace (starting to cry): "I'm sick and I need you to come get me."  
  
Eli: "Okay, I'll be right there."  
  
Grace: "Good."  
  
Eli: "Love you, Grace."  
  
Grace: "Love you, too."  
  
  
Grace signed herself out of school and dropped a note into Jessie's locker explaining that she had to go home. Then, she grabbed all her stuff and headed outside. She had tears flowing down her cheeks when Eli got there. He walked up to her, placing an arm around her as they walked to the car.  
  
"What's the matter, baby?"he asked, almost in a whisper.  
  
"I'll tell you in the car,"she replied.  
  
"Okay,"he said as he opened her car door for her.  
  
They both got in the car, and he nervously waited for her to tell him what was bugging her. Finally, Grace turned to Eli as he started driving the car away from the school.  
  
"Eli, I think I'm pregnant,"she said softly.  
  
"What?"he asked as he momentarily ceased breathing and his heart had ceased beating.  
  
"I may be pregnant,"she stated a little louder.  
  
"Why?"he said awestruck.  
  
"Well, I've got several classic symptoms, including morning sickness and a missed period."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Well, I know we didn't use protection every time, and even when we did use it, it might not have worked properly."  
  
Grace sat there quietly.  
  
"Eli, I'm scared,"she finally said as tears began flowing down her cheeks. Eli pulled the car over and stopped it.  
  
"It'll all be okay,"he said as he grabbed her hand, entertwining his fingers in hers. "We'll be okay."  
  
"Are you sure?"she whispered.  
  
"Yes, Grace,"he replied. "I'm going to take you home and then I'm going to run some errands. They won't take long, okay?"  
  
"Okay,"she answered quietly.  
  
"I want you to stay on my bed until I get home, okay? You need some rest."  
  
"Okay."  
  
After Eli finished the drive, he guided Grace into his room in the garage. He helped her to get comfortable in the bed that she'd spent so many nights in with him. Before he left, Eli kissed her forehead and told her that things would be alright.  
  
  
An hour later, Eli came back to his room with two bags. One was a large plastic bag from Target. The other was a smaller paper bag from the drugstore.  
  
"What have you got?"Grace asked as she raised up.  
  
"My errands,"he said slyly. "I got a pregnancy test for you to take from the drugstore."  
  
Her eyes widened. "And the other?"  
  
"That's some other things I needed."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"What are you waiting for?"  
  
Grace looked at the test. She went into the bathroom and followed the instructions. When her time was up, Grace and Eli checked the results together.  
  
"So?"Eli said softly. He'd been a bit confused by the results and the box.  
  
"We're..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"We're going to have a baby."  
  
Eli kissed Grace twice, once on the forehead and again on the lips. "I love you so much."  
  
"Are we ready for this?"she whispered in his ear.  
  
"Is anyone ever?"  
  
"No,"she giggled.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll be a good mom,"he whispered in her ears as he hugged her. "I guess I can give you the other bag now. I'm sorry I didn't wrap it."  
  
"That's okay,"Grace said quietly as Eli handed her the bag. In it, she found a rattle, a teddy bear, a baby blanket, a baby book, a name book, and a card congratulating her on her new pregnancy.  
  
"Eli, I love this!"she exclaimed.  
  
"I'm glad,"he kissed her cheek.  
  
"What if I hadn't been?"  
  
"I knew your intuition was probably right, so I kind of knew already."  
  
Grace giggled.  
  
"Eli, how do we tell our parents?"  
  
"Did you have to bring that up?"  
  
"Yes. It's a fact of life. They will find out eventually, so how are we going to tell them?"  
  
Eli sighed. He knew that their road was about to get very bumpy. 


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: I'm glad you guys are liking this story so much so far. I hope you continue to like it. Please review. :)  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Lily came home as Eli and Grace were carrying Grace's new things upstairs.   
  
"Did you have a party?" Lily asked.  
  
"No,"Grace laughed.  
  
"Then, what's with all of the stuff?"  
  
"It's stuff I've been meaning to give Grace,"Eli lied.  
  
"Oh, okay,"Lily mumbled, not believing for a second that they were telling her the truth.  
  
Eli and Grace practically ran up the stairs to Grace's room, hoping to avoid more awkward situations. When they got to her room, they both fell over in laughter. Grace had to break the silence.  
  
Grace shut the door, and put her arms around Eli's neck. Then, she quietly asked Eli, "How will we tell them?"  
  
"I don't know,"he replied softly.  
  
"When?"  
  
"I don't know that either."  
  
"Then, what do you know?"  
  
"That I love you."  
  
Then, Eli and Grace softly kissed one another and sighed deeply when they pulled away, as they began to wonder about how they could ever tell their parents about the pregnancy.  
  
  
Meanwhile, Lily decided to snoop around to find out what Eli and Grace were doing. In doing this, she was listening at Grace's door when Eli said that he loved Grace. Lily felt as though her lungs had no air in them and couldn't breathe for many second as all of her oxygen and energy rushed to her brain. How could this possibly be happening under her roof without her knowing about it? Then, it made sense to her that Eli and Grace had taken the bag up to Grace's room. She figured that it must have had something special in it that Eli got Grace to signify his love for her. Lily slowly but surely began to truly panic. This was too much for her.  
  
"I have to tell someone,"she gasped as she walked downstairs. She contemplated calling Judy, but that would be silly. So, her other options were Rick or Jake or both. 


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story. I hope you like this chapter.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Rick rushed home from work because Lily had mentioned a family emergency. He worried that Lily was having a miscarriage from the sound of her voice. As he walked in, he saw his worried wife talking to a very angry and uncontrollable Jake.  
  
"You should kick his ass out of the house!" Jake yelled.  
  
"Be quiet," Lily chided. "They'll hear you!"  
  
"I hope they do!" he grunted.  
  
"Hi, Lil! Hi, Jake! Can I just ask what's going on here?" Rick asked as he wondered what could possibly be going on between them that was creating so much hostility.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Jake said sarcastically, "except that your son has seduced my daughter."  
  
"What?" Rick asked in disbelief that the suggestion.  
  
"I heard them talking in Grace's room and Eli told Grace that he loved her," Lily confessed as she glanced between her angry ex and the confused Rick.  
  
"So, why did Jake say that Eli seduced her?"  
  
"Because most boys tell girls they love them just to get them into bed!" Jake replied as his hostility deepened. His anger was becoming more and more unstable as the minutes passed.  
  
"So, are you saying that my son could only possibly say that he loved a girl if he knew that she'd have sex with him?" Rick said as his anger began to besiege him. He couldn't believe that Rick could be accusing Eli of this.  
  
"Yes!" Jake yelled.  
  
  
"What the Hell is going on down there?" Grace asked Eli as looked toward the door, ending her gaze into Eli's eyes, as they lay on her bed still amazed that they would be parents.  
  
"I have no clue, but it really doesn't sound good," Eli mumbled as he hoped that Grace would drop the issue. Of course, he knew that Grace was the most curious girl in the world.  
  
"Should we go check?" she asked as her interest in the arguments rose.  
  
"No. I don't think it'd be so safe!"  
  
"But it might be important," she hissed. "I could always go down there by myself."  
  
"I'll go! I don't want them hurting you in your condition," Eli grunted. He now had become more protective of Grace and she was enjoying that.  
  
Grace led Eli down the stairs because he was still very hesitant about being down there. He knew any fight might be about him, and he really didn't enjoy that fact.  
  
Lily was the first to notice Grace and Eli, but she didn't dare to say anything. She hoped that the men wouldn't notice either since they'd been fighting so intensely, even throwing the occasional shove or punch. Unfortunately, both noticed and Jake lunged for Eli.  
  
"Dad!" Grace yelled as she jumped in front of Eli, instinctively. "What is your problem?"  
  
"That fiend!" Jake growled as he was restrained by Rick.  
  
"What are you talking about, Daddy?" Grace asked flashing an innocent look on her face.  
  
"He's lured you into his world! Into his bed! He's seduced you! I'll kill him, I swear."  
  
"He has not seduced me," Grace stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"He hasn't?" all three parents asked in unison as they watched Grace put a hand on Eli's chest. He took her hand and kissed it as a gentleman would've kissed a lady's hand hundreds of years ago.  
  
"No," Grace said as she smiled sweetly. Then, her voice became much lower, much more mature, and very seductive. "I seduced him."  
  
With that, Grace furiously and forcefully pressed her lips to Eli's and tried to make her parents melt from their rage and from her love for Eli. 


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, everyone! They are really appreciated!  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"What?" Lily asked angrily and Grace broke the kiss. Her lips had become very swollen, but not as much as Eli's lips. Rick just stared in disbelief while Jake was obviously angered.  
  
"I said I seduced him, didn't I?" Grace replied tartly.  
  
"What do you have to say about this, Eli?" Lily asked turning toward Eli.  
  
"Um...I love Grace very much," Eli said gaining his confidence more with each word.  
  
"And have you..." Rick started, but could not get the rest of the words to come out correctly.  
  
"Had sex?" Eli finished for his father. "Yes, we have."  
  
"I'll kill him," Jake grunted as he approached Eli with a look of tremendous hatred in his eyes.  
  
"No, you won't!" Grace screamed in her father's face, stunning him. "I love him, Daddy! If you loved me, you might understand that! If you loved your grandchi--"  
  
Grace stopped as she realized that she'd just gone too far in her argument. Now, she was frightened. Total fear rushed through her veins as she came to a realization that she would have to confess the secret at this particular moment in time. All eyes angrily glared at her, except Eli's who had gained a worried and said expression.  
  
"My what?" Jake asked as he'd been totally stunned by what almost came out of his daughter's mouth.  
  
Eli got closer to Grace and placed his hands lightly on her waist. He kissed her cheek and whispered into her, "It'll be okay. I'll always be with you."  
  
"Your grandchild," Grace finished with renewed confidence, yet with a soft and shy tone.  
  
"You're pregnant?!" Lily exclaimed in utter disbelief. She couldn't believe her own daughter would get pregnant as a teenager. Any other person might expect this of their child, but Lily never thought this could happen with Grace.  
  
"Yes," Grace stated softly.  
  
"Eli, have you told you mother yet?" Rick asked as his voice quivered from the news.  
  
"No, sir," Eli replied.  
  
"We were planning on telling all four of you together," Grace said. "Oh, and Tiffany, too."  
  
"How long have you known?" Lily asked as the news really began to sink in.  
  
"We found out a few hours ago," Eli replied.  
  
For a few moments, things calmed down and everyone stood in silence. Then, Jake's anger came back with a fiery passion.  
  
"I don't want him living with my daughter anymore!" Jake screamed.  
  
"Dad, you can't be serious," Grace said in an annoyed, yet angered tone. She rolled her eyes at her father in attempt to get him to only be angry with her, and not be angry at all with Eli.  
  
"I am more than serious, Grace! The two of you should never be together again."  
  
"What about our baby?"  
  
"Put it up for adoption because you are way too young to raise a child. And that scum bag is too immature."  
  
"And you're the voice of reason on things like this?"  
  
"Grace!" Lily chided.  
  
"Kick him out of this house!" Jake growled at Lily and Rick before walking out of the house and slamming the door behind him. 


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I really appreciate them. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)  
  
Chapter Five  
  
"You're not going to kick Eli out, are you?!" Grace said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Well..." Lily muttered.  
  
"You can't be serious?!" Eli yelled as he ran his fingers through his hair.  
  
"We might have to," Rick mumbled.  
  
"No!" Grace screamed. "Look, what are we going to do that we haven't already done? It's not like I can get pregnant while I'm pregnant!"  
  
"But your affair was like incest," Lily loudly whispered.  
  
"First, it is not a 'was'," Eli grunted. "Grace and I are still together! Second, it isn't an affair! What Grace and I have is a real relationship! Besides, it is not incestuous!"  
  
"But she's your..." Rick began in a stern voice.  
  
"Step-sister? That proves that I'm not related to her by blood. So, it can't be incest! And if you two hadn't met or if you hadn't gotten married, she would just be another teenager to you, Dad. The same would go for me with you, Lily. We've been thrown into an unfair situation. Did it ever occur to either of you that we liked each other before you two got pelvic? So, don't punish us for it."  
  
Eli kissed Grace's cheek before he stormed out to the garage.  
  
"So, are you?" Grace whispered sadly already knowing the answer.  
  
"We have to," Lily stated softly.  
  
"I hate you!" Grace yelled as she ran up the stairs to her room before she slammed the door.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" Lily whispered as she clung tightly to Rick.  
  
"I have no idea," Rick whispered back and kissed Lily's forehead. 


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: Thank you very much for the reviews. Feel free to give me any of your thoughts or suggestions for the story.  
  
Chapter Six  
  
"She's what?" Judy screeched as she poured Lily and herself some peppermint tea.  
  
"She's pregnant," Lily stated again for her sister.  
  
"And the father is?" Judy asked suspiciously, knowing that Grace was the type who would know who the father was. "Don't tell me it's that strange teacher. What was his name?"  
  
"Mr. Dmitri? No, it's not him," Lily sighed. "If it were him, things might not be this complicated. I mean, they'd be complicated, but…not like this."  
  
Lily sighed again, and Judy looked at her strangely, as she tried to decipher what her sister's problem was.  
  
"Then who is it?" Judy whined like a little kid in a toy store.  
  
"It's…" Lily looked at her nosy sister's face and dreaded the look that was going to appear after she found out that it was Eli's child. Lily decided that she had to buy herself some time. "What kind of tea is this?"  
  
"Peppermint, Lil," Judy replied obviously annoyed. "You know what kind it is! Now, tell me who the father is!"  
  
"I don't think I like your attitude," Lily replied curtly as she again was trying to stall.  
  
"Please," Judy whimpered before taking a sip of tea.  
  
"Fine," Lily said as she sipped some more tea. "It's Eli."  
  
Judy spat out her tea on the table in front of her. "Who?"  
  
"Eli," Lily replied as she tried to avoid the stunned glare Judy was shooting at her.  
  
"Rick's Eli?" Judy asked, still stunned.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"When did this happen?"  
  
"Over the summer, apparently, they really fell in love."  
  
"So she had sex with him?"  
  
"Obviously, she did, Judy."  
  
"He doesn't really seem her type."  
  
"Well, apparently, he is her type and she is his. They've liked each other since before Rick and I got married, or even met."  
  
"Whoa…do you mean that they're soul mates?"  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
"So, what are you and Rick going to do about this?"  
  
Lily took a deep breath. "We're making Eli move out."  
  
Judy sat her tea down quickly. "Lily, are you really sure about that?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. Why?"  
  
"Well, if Eli and Grace are really in love, then they're going to find some way to be together."  
  
Lily gulped as she began to worry about what might be coming for the people in her home. She knew that Grace was too in love and too determined to let Eli slip through her fingers. She knew that by making Eli moving out, they were beginning a war in their house. The only way to stop it would be to relent control, and Lily knew they could not do that. 


	7. Chapter Seven

A/N: Okay, so I know I am redundant in every chapter when I do this, but I have to thank you guys so much for giving me the wonderful reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying this story. Please, continue giving me reviews. Also, go to http://saveoanda.com to try to save the wonderful show.  
  
  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
"Where are you going to stay?" Grace asked, with fear evident in her voice, as she continued helping Eli pack some of his clothes and cds.  
  
"I'll be with my mom for a while," he murmured as he tried to avoid looking Grace in the eyes.  
  
"Does she know about…?" Grace asked as her voice trailed off. She was so worried about why Eli couldn't seem to look her in the eye or even at her in general.  
  
"Yes," he smiled weakly as he finally looked into Grace's eyes. "She knows about the baby and the two of us."  
  
"And?"  
  
"She's not overwhelmingly happy with it, but she hasn't become a total nutcase over the whole thing."  
  
Grace snickered at the 'nutcase' comment before returning to a serious state of mind. "How long--"  
  
"I don't know," he whispered back.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Grace, please, stop worrying," Eli stated softly as he placed two fingers on her lips. "Everything will be alright. Don't worry about anything. Stress isn't good for you or for the baby."  
  
"How do you know it will all be alright?" she whimpered.  
  
"I just do," Eli whispered as he leaned in to kiss Grace softly.  
  
Grace smiled after receiving the kiss. "I love you, Eli Sammler."  
  
"I love you, too, Grace Manning," he said lightly as he pulled her into a light hug.  
  
  
  
It only took Eli three hours to finish moving in with his mother. He left most of his stuff in his room in the garage. He hoped to be able to move back in with Rick and Lily again, but he had no idea if they would change their minds about forcing him out of the house. Even if they did change their minds, it would take a lifetime to convince Jake that it would be okay. Eli accepted that everything would happen in time, and that the complications of his love for Grace would soon pass.  
  
Grace, on the other hand, wasn't as optimistic. She saw the same barricades as Eli, but she couldn't figure out how to get past them. She needed him to help her get through this hard time in her life, but all she could see was that her parents and his dad were holding them back from happiness. She hated all of the stress this was causing, and she knew that Eli was right when he said that it would be bad for the baby. Still, it was hard for Grace to try just accepting things as they were and to move on with her life.  
  
Grace had one barricade that Eli didn't have at that moment. She had to deal with the family at dinnertime. That was a struggle in and of itself.  
  
"Why did he move out?" Zoe asked at dinner.  
  
"Well…" Rick began as he looked at Lily, hoping she would know how to answer the question.  
  
"What?" Zoe urged Rick on.  
  
"He knocked a girl up," Grace blurted out in annoyance. She looked at her mother who appeared to have fire shooting through her eyes.  
  
"Grace!" Lily exclaimed as mouths around the table gaped at Grace's comment.  
  
"Who?" Zoe asked in giggly enjoyment.  
  
"What?" Jessie screamed. "I didn't know he was dating anyone, let along having sex with anyone. Grace, who is it?"  
  
Rick and Lily were both struck with fear. Lily knew that Grace was eventually going to manipulate the situation, but she didn't realize how quickly it would happen. Both Rick and Lily appeared to be saying small prayers that Grace was just going to pass this off as a joke, even though, she knew it wasn't and Grace wouldn't.  
  
Grace smiled proudly. "I'm pregnant! And Eli's the father!"  
  
"What?" Jessie screamed again. She couldn't believe that her own brother would get Grace pregnant. That was very unreal.  
  
"I'm gonna be an aunt?" Zoe questioned in excitement.  
  
"Are you keeping it?" Jessie asked as she sat down in the chair next to Grace.  
  
"I really want to," Grace stated softly.  
  
"Does Eli know?" Zoe asked in a bubbly manner.  
  
"Yeah," Grace said as she glanced at both Rick and Lily. "He's really happy about it, too."  
  
"Wow! What will you name it?" Zoe asked causing Grace to begin giggling.  
  
"I don't know. I don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet, so how could I possibly name it?"  
  
"Are you going to marry him?" Jessie asked.  
  
"I don't know," Grace said thoughtfully. "I hope so."  
  
Jessie's and Zoe's faces lit up with excitement at the possibility of Grace marrying Eli. As the facts seemed to seep into their heads about the pairing of their respective siblings, Jessie and Zoe had less shock and more joy.  
  
Of course, the same couldn't be said for the dumbstruck Rick and the enraged Lily. They did not intend to let Grace marry Eli, but they knew it was always a possibility.  
  
"You what?" Lily yelled in disbelief, which caused everyone at the table to jump.  
  
"Nothing, mom," Grace muttered. "May I be excused?"  
  
"Yes," Lily said with a nod. 


	8. Chapter Eight

**A Fact of Life**

**Chapter Eight**

Grace ran upstairs and grabbed the phone. She needed to talk to Eli. No one was answering the phone, so Grace decided to sneak out of the house. She grabbed her keys and snuck down the stairs. She was able to leave her house without anyone knowing that she'd left.

Grace arrived at Karen's place and saw lights on. She walked towards the house and knocked on the door. She could hear music coming from the basement. She knew that there was a spare key somewhere on the front porch. Eli had told her about it over the summer when he spent some time with his mom. She found the key and let herself in the house. She ran down to the basement to see Eli. He was playing his guitar by himself.

"Eli?"Grace said softly. He didn't hear her. "Eli." He still didn't hear her. She walked over to him and flicked him on the side of the head and said his name once more.

He looked up at her and a smile grew on his face. "Hey, babe. What are you doing here?"

"I needed to get away from that house,"she responded as Eli put down his guitar. He motioned for her to come sit on his lap. "I just felt so disgusted by how they were treating you, and how they're treating me. I just needed an escape. I needed you."

"I needed you, too."

"Did you hear me when I called?"

"No. The phone's upstairs and I was playing. I must have missed it."

"Where's your mom?"

"She had a date tonight. She said she'd be gone all night, so you can stay here if you need to."

"I would love to, but if our parents found out, they would kill us."

"Actually, they'd kill me. I would never let them hurt you."

Grace kissed him lightly. "I would never let them hurt you, too."

"So, what are we going to do so that we can be together?"

"I don't know. I mean, Jessie asked if we were getting married…"

"I would love to marry you, but I think you'd need your mom and dad's approval to get married. I doubt they would ever approve."

"Yeah. I might be able to convince them that the baby shouldn't be born out of wedlock, but I doubt that they would fall for that."

"No, that might work. They should want us to be together to raise the baby."

"My dad won't sign off on it, though. He wants to kill you, so I doubt he would be willing to sign off on my getting married to you."

Eli sighed. "I don't know what else to do. We've got to be together."

"Let's runaway."

"We can't…"

"Why not? We would be away from them and we could raise the baby together."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Grace knew she couldn't runaway with Eli. She was still a minor and he was an adult. He might get charged with kidnapping. He could get locked up for her idea. She knew she had to be with him somehow, though. She had an idea. She could get emancipated. First, she would need a good job. Then, she would have to find her own place. She basically had to prove that she could take care of herself.

"Emancipation?" Eli said on the phone. "What's that?"

"Basically, I get to be an adult before I'm an adult. I've got to get a job and a place to stay. Of course, it'll probably help my cause that I'm pregnant."

"How long will that take?"

"I'm not sure."

"What will we do in the meantime?"

"We snuck around before. I'm sure we can do it again."

The next day Grace went out looking for a job. She hoped she could find one quickly. She needed to be with Eli.

That evening she called Eli. She wanted to talk about the day she'd had, but he interrupted her.

"I got a job!" he said excitedly.

"What kind?"

"Something at a music store," he replied.

"Like a CD place?"

"No, a place that sells guitars and stuff."

"Oh, cool. I've been looking for a job today, too."

"I also started looking for a place."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think that I can do any of this stuff on my own?" she asked growing annoyed.

Eli got a little tense. "Are you upset?"

"No. I'm just shocked to have all of this going on."

"Am I helping at all?"

"Yeah. I'm just overwhelmed."

"Do you want to come over?"

"I wish I could, but I have to fill out some stuff."

"Oh, does it have to do with the emancipation?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, well, I better let you go."

"Mom, I need to talk to you," Grace said softly the next morning.

"What about?"

"I'm filing for emancipation," she blurted out.

"What? Why?"

"I want to be with Eli. I need to be with him."

"You _need_ to?"

"He's the father of my child. I want to be with him. I want to marry him. I want to grow old with him. I need him!"

Grace stormed out of the kitchen going right past Rick.

"What's her problem?"

"She's filing for emancipation."

"Why?"

"She wants to be with your son."

"That makes a little sense."

"You're taking her side now?"

"Not exactly. I just understand that she wants to be with him because of the baby. If you were in her position, what would you want?"

"The same thing."

"Then maybe we should just accept what they're doing."


End file.
